New Zealand and Sri Lanka faced each other in women’s cricket in 1997. It was a Women’s World Cup encounter that New Zealand won comfortably.
Since then, the White Ferns have established their dominance over the Asian side. Except for a few games, they have hardly had to break a sweat against Sri Lanka.
The Lankan side, though not as intimidating, has tried to put up a fight, especially in recent years. While Sri Lanka haven’t defeated New Zealand in any ICC tournaments, they’ve secured a few bilateral victories.
And they weren’t any ordinary wins but rather quite historic. Sri Lanka beat the White Ferns in women’s ODIs and T20Is for the first time in 2023. It was followed by a women’s ODI series in the same year.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have recorded some mighty wins against Sri Lanka across formats. Take, for instance, their very first win or the other World Cup wins that followed.
Now they’ve another chance to record a big win when they square off against Sri Lanka in the 2025 Women’s World Cup. New Zealand and Sri Lanka will lock horns on October 14, 2025, in Colombo.
Here you can look at the head-to-head timeline between New Zealand women and Sri Lanka women, including notable records and highlights.
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New Zealand Women’s National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka Women’s National Cricket Team Players (2025)
| Role | New Zealand Women | Sri Lanka Women |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Sophie Devine | Chamari Athapaththu |
| Batters | Maddy Green, Bella James, Georgia Plimmer | Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika Silva |
| All-Rounders | Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Brooke Halliday, Amelia Kerr | Chamari Athapaththu, Kavisha Dilhari, Piumi Wathsala, Dewmi Vihanga |
| Wicketkeepers | Isabella Gaze, Polly Inglis | Anushka Sanjeewani |
| Bowlers | Hannah Rowe, Eden Carson, Bree Illing, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu | Imesha Dulani, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera |
New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women Head-to-Head Timeline
| Year | Match | Format | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 3rd T20I | T20I | Dunedin | No Result |
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 2nd T20I | T20I | Christchurch | New Zealand women won by 7 wickets |
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 1st T20I | T20I | Christchurch | Sri Lanka women won by 7 wickets |
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 3rd ODI | ODI | Nelson | New Zealand women won by 98 runs |
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 2nd ODI | ODI | Nelson | New Zealand women won by 78 runs |
| 2025 | NZ-W vs SL-W, 1st ODI | ODI | Napier | No Result |
| 2024 | Women’s T20 World Cup | T20I | Sharjah | New Zealand women won by 8 wickets |
| 2023 | SL-W vs NZ-W, 3rd T20I | T20I | Colombo (PSS) | Sri Lanka women won by 10 wickets |
| 2023 | SL-W vs NZ-W, 2nd T20I | T20I | Colombo (PSS) | New Zealand women won by 8 wickets |
| 2023 | SL-W vs NZ-W, 1st T20I | T20I | Colombo (PSS) | New Zealand women won by 5 wickets |
Notable Records and Highlights
ODI Cricket
- New Zealand dominate over Sri Lanka in women’s ODIs (13-2).
- First ODI in 1997: Debbie Hockley (100*) starred in the maiden encounter. New Zealand reached 236 for 3 in the World Cup fixture. Kelly Brown (2/8) and Catherine Campbell (2/12) later bowled out Sri Lanka for 71 runs to win by 165 runs.
- Dominant Run: New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in 10 consecutive women’s ODIs between 1997 and 2017.
- Sri Lanka’s First Victory: Sri Lanka broke the streak in 2023, winning the first of the three-match series by 9 wickets. Later, they capped it off with their first series win, defeating New Zealand by 2-1.
- Athapaththu Shines: Captain Chamari Athapaththu was the main architect behind Sri Lanka’s series victory. She aggregated 248 runs across three innings.
- Top run-scorer: New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (551 runs)
- Top wicket-taker: New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu (13 wickets)
T20I Cricket
- New Zealand maintain a big lead over Sri Lanka in T20Is (14-2).
- First T20I in 2010: Suzie Bates’ 50 guided New Zealand to 154 for 7. In reply, Sri Lanka mustered 107 for 8. Chamani Seneviratna (4/21) was the only good performer for Sri Lanka.
- All-Round Bates: Her crucial 69-run knock helped New Zealand muster 114 for 7. Later, Bates picked up three wickets to derail Sri Lanka’s chase and secure an 11-run victory for New Zealand.
- New Zealand’s Dominance: The White Ferns had a 12-match winning streak against Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2023.
- Streak Broken: Athapaththu’s masterclass helped Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in women’s T20Is for the first time. Her unbeaten 80 saw Sri Lanka thrash the 141-run target with 10 wickets in hand.
- Top run-scorer: New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (605 runs)
- Top wicket-taker: Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera (12 wickets)
Top Players in NZ-W vs SL-W Rivalry
Batting: Suzie Bates, Chamari Athapaththu, Sophie Devine, Rachel Priest
Bowling: Lea Tahuhu, Inoka Ranaweera, Leigh Kasperek, Sophie Devine
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Upcoming Schedule (Women’s World Cup 2025)
New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women – Women’s World Cup 2025 Match Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2025 | New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 15th Match | Colombo (RPS) | 3:00 PM |
Where to Watch Women’s World Cup 2025 – Broadcasting and Live Streaming Info
Telecast: Star Sports Network
Live Stream: JioHotstar
New Zealand have had an upper hand over Sri Lanka all through their battles. The consistency and experience in their lineup have helped them leap ahead.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are far behind, though they are improving. And that’s visible through their recent wins, which promise to turn the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka contests more competitive.
